Wire tractor



July 24, 1934. l ETTlNGER 1,967,471

WIRE TRACTOR Filed Nov. 17, 1932 Patented Euly 24, I934 1,967,47r WIREJIRAQT R.

Joe J. Ettinger, Warsaw, Ind.-, a ssignor-to-Zimmer Manufacturing 'Company;-'Warsaw, Ind.

Application-November 1 4 Claims.

This invention relatesto surgical appliances and has special reference to a wire tractor for applying traction to a fractured bone suchas-a leg or arm bone.

In the treatment of certain fractures of the long bones of the leg and arm it sometimes becomes advisable to apply traction directly to the-bone rather than to the soft tissues in which the broken bone is encased. One means of applying such through the bone and attaching weights to such pin. These pins have necessarily, as hitherto used,

sufficient diameter to be rigid enough to support the weight attached to the ends projecting from ameter, the diameters commonly used being from to 'inch. The application of pins of suchis that ittends to bend on each side of the bone 1 and thus produces injury to the softer tissues. In order to use such small diameter wire it'is essential that it-be kept straight and to do this it is necessary that the wire be kept under longitudinal tension so that it cannot bend to an appreciable extent when traction is applied to its ends transversely of its length.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a novel device for connecting the projecting ends of such a wire with traction means, such as a weight, the device having means for maintaining the necessary tension longitudinally of the wire to cause it to remain substantially straight upon application of the traction transverse its length.

A second important object of the invention is to provide means whereby the wire tractor may be quickly applied to and readily released from wire of any desired diameter to automatically grip such wire without requiring the use of screws or other gripping means necessitating the application of a tool to the tractor either for application or release of the wire.

A third important object of the invention is to provide a novel wire tractor to which traction may be applied at will either in the direction of the ,longitudinal axis of the tractor or to a selected point at one side or the other of said axis.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction .and combinations of parts hereinafter fully detraction has been bythe insertion of a pin the limb and have thus been of considerable di- 7, 1932, Serial No. 643,101

scribed, illustrated in the accompanying draw-- ing andspecificall'y claimed.

In theaccompanying drawing like characters of refgrence indicate like parts in the several views, an

Figure 1 is aperspeetive view of the tractor in useto' obtain skeletal traction on a femur.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the tractor.

Figure 3 is a still further enlarged view of one of the gripper jaws of this tractor.

Figure 4 is'a detailsection on the linedof Figure 2.

in theembodiment of the-invention in disclosedtlere is provided a block or head piece 10 having bifurcated ends 11 through which extends ivots 12. Curved legs 13 have their ends recei-ved in the respective bifurcations and pivoted on the respective pivots. The free ends of these legsare provided with flanges 14 of arcuate form, the-ccnvex-faces of the arcs confronting the pivoted ends of 'saidlcgs and adjacent the flange of each legithere is provided a pivot 14 whereon ismounted a gripper jaw lo extending toward the flange and having the endadjacent the flange bevelled ands serrated as at 16. These bevelled and serrated ends are so arranged that, when a wire W is placed between the jaws and the flanges they firmly grip the parts of the wire wherewith they contact. As will be seen in Figure 3 the bevelled and serrated edge 16 is so arranged that the wider end of the gap between this edge and the convex coasting fixed jaw faces inwardly toward the other leg 13. By reason of this, movement of the legs toward each other automatically releases the wire and this release is assisted by the convex curvature of the coacting face of the fixed jaw. Furthermore the convexity of this face cooperates with the bevelled arrangement of the serrated edge to enable any diameter of wire, Within the limits for which the device is designed, to be securely gripped.

Through the head piece 10 is screwed an adjusting screw 1'? which carries on its end a crosshead 18 doubly bifurcated at its ends. Between the head piece 10 and the cross head 18 the screw 17 is provided with a collar 19 which bears on one side of an anti-friction bearing 20 resting against the crosshead. The screw revolves freely in the cross-head and is held from retraction therefrom by a screw 21. Pivots 22 pass through the bifurcated ends of the cross-head and pairs of links 23 have their respective ends pivoted on the pivots 22 in the bifurcations of the cross-head. The remaining ends of these ere links 23 are secured to the legs 13 in spaced relation to the pivots 12, and thus intermediate the ends of said legs, by pivots 24. A long wing head 25 is carried by the screw 17 and is provided with a series of openings 26 for the selective reception of a hook 27 to which may be attached a traction cord or wire T. It will be observed that one of the openings 26 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the device while the others lie on each side of this central opening in spaced relation to it and each other. Thus the hook may be attached to effect either axial traction on the device or traction at an angle to its axis.

In using the device for producing skeletal traction on a bone the wire W is inserted through the soft tissues and bone by any suitable means,

the ends of such wire projecting from opposite sides of the limb. The wire tractor is then applied to the wire in such manner that the projecting ends lie between the jaws and the flanges" with the jaws held incontact with the wire, if necessary, by an assistant. Then the screw is rotated to force the cross-head away from the head piece and thus spread the legs and tension the wire so that there will be no substantial bending of the wire upon the hookbeing inserted in the desired handle opening and traction applied.

There has thus been provided a simple and eiiicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention Without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

of legs each having an end pivoted to a respective head piece and having a flange at its other end, serrated clamping jaws each pivoted to a respective leg adjacent its flange to cooperate with the flange for gripping a wire, a cross-head between said legs, links extending forwardly and outwardly from said cross-head to the legs and each having its ends pivoted respectively to' the crosshead'and a 1eg,a screw threaded through said head piece and engaging said cross-head to move the same toward and from the head piece, and a wing handle on said screw provided with laterally spaced openings for the attachment of a traction cord.

3. In a device of the kind described, a head piece, a pair of legs each having one end pivoted to the head piece and having their free ends movable toward and from each other, means connected to said legs to effect movement thereof in each direction, jaws formed on the free ends of said legs and having transversely convex surfaces confronting the pivot points, and movable clamping jaws each pivoted to a leg in spaced relation to the first mentioned jaws and extending towards the latter, the ends of said movable jaws being serrated and bevelled to provide tapered gaps between said ends and the first jaws, said gaps having their wider ends confronting each other.

4. A wire clamp for the legs of a wire stretcher including a leg provided with a fixed jaw having a transversely'convex face, and a movable jaw pivoted at one end to theleg in spaced relation to the convex face and extending towards said face, the end of said movable jaw being transversely bevelled and provided with serrations.

JOE J. ETTINGER. 

